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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1998-99: VUWAE 43

WASTE DISPOSAL & MANAGEMENT

WASTE DISPOSAL & MANAGEMENT

17. Waste generated at CR consisted of human waste, grey water (from kitchen, ablutions and laundry facilities), food waste, used or contaminated FOL, drill 'mud' residue and drill cuttings, drill pipe and miscellaneous waste, eg. packaging, timber, scrap metal, plastic, glass. All waste generated was disposed of in accordance with the CEE.

18. At the conclusion of the CRP season all waste, other than that able to be disposed of either in the sea or on the sea ice, had been removed to Scott Base. It is Project policy to remove all waste in the season that it is generated. In addition to not storing waste at CR from one season to the next, it was also practice to return rubbish to Scott Base at every opportunity, especially through the backloading of helicopters. Although not always appreciated by helicopter crews, it was nonetheless critical to waste management to 'keep ahead of it'. That way excessive amounts did not build up which were then difficult to shift, and the risk was minimised of having waste blow away or lost under snow cover.

19. Types of Waste and Disposal Methods.
a.Human Waste. At the CR Camp and Drill Site Camp free standing, unheated toilets were set up over holes in the sea ice. The holes measured approximately 1.2m deep × 0.6m in diameter. They were not drilled through to the sea. Ten holes were used at the main Camp and three at the Drill Site. Observations of sea ice breakup in this area from previous years suggests the contents of these holes could ultimately be dispersed well out in McMurdo Sound. Human waste generated while living on CR was 'tide-cracked' in the time honoured way. The plastic bags which contained the waste are returned to Scott Base for disposal.
b.Grey Water. Depending on the Camp population, between 1,000 and 5,000 litres per day of diluted (mixed with brine solution from the Reverse Osmosis plant) grey water was pumped into the sea beneath the Camp. Under-sea-ice video observation showed the current quickly dispersed this water in a laminar flow. A visual check of page 5 water clarity in early November showed clear water 1m upstream of the outflow and only slight discoloration downstream. At 3m downstream from source the water was clear.
c.Food Waste. This season all waste food was bagged and returned to Scott Base. Last season food was macerated and incorporated into the grey water, but this was stopped for technical reasons. Although this noticeably increased the volume of waste to be returned to Scott Base the Project Manager, for environmental as well as technical and health reasons, believes transportation to Scott Base to be the better disposal option and it will be retained for next season.
d.FOL Waste. Used oil and contaminated FOL that was recovered from the separator was stored in overpack drums. Two drums of used oil and contaminants and one of oily rags and used filters were returned to Scott Base by the sea ice traverse party in December.
e.Drill Mud and Cuttings Residue. Close to 40 metric tonnes of biodegradable dry 'mud' products and 2.6 metric tonnes of dry cement were pumped down the CRP2 hole. This quantity translated to about 600 cubic metres mixed. During the embedment and early coring phases of the drilling some cement grout, drill mud and cuttings 'escaped' from around the drill annulus up to the sea floor. An area of the sea floor, about 5m in diameter by about 1m thick at the centre, was covered. Total volume exiting to the sea floor was estimated to be 1.25 cubic metres or 0.2 percent of the total drill mud and grout used in the hole. As drilling deepened drill fluids ceased escaping to the sea floor surface. The majority of drill fluids used in drilling CRP2 were 'lost' to the formation. Drill mud and cuttings retrieved at the drill rig were disposed of either by spreading on the sea ice or dumping down the sea riser ice hole. At the completion of coring and down-hole logging CRP2 hole was sealed with a cement grout plug. Refer to Science Support Manager's EOS Report for more details.
f.Drill Pipe. Drill pipe discarded in CRP2 hole at the completion of drilling was:
a.HQ coring rod - 120m.
b.5" sea riser outer casing - 12.5m.
g.Miscellaneous Waste. This was efficiently disposed of IAW Antarctica New Zealand's guidelines. All waste was separated into 'burnable' and 'non-burnable' and some non-burnable items, eg. batteries, metal; further separated. Most was returned to Scott base via helicopters. Bulky and heavy items were returned by sledge traverse.